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Barack Obama’s Oklahoma City moment

His response to Tucson wasn’t entirely glitch-free either. In his statement Saturday, Obama referred to Giffords, who is fighting for her life in a Tucson intensive care unit, in the past tense – and seemed to pause when he’d realized what he’d said. And some critics took note that he spent several hours at the residence of senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, guessing that he’s spent the night watching the NFL playoffs or football.

In public, Obama is not particularly emotive. On a few occasions, he’s welled up – when talking about how his mother’s struggle with cancer motivated his push for health reform or speaking at a memorial service last year for miners killed in a West Virginia mine.

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Unlike the reflexively public Clinton, Obama’s instinct is to keep private emotions private. When he made an unscheduled visit to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware in October 2009 to view the coffins of 18 American soldiers and federal agents killed in Afghanistan, he did in the middle of the night, outside the presence of pool reporters.

During his brief remarks Saturday, Obama appeared to be genuinely moved, calling the shootings “a tragedy for Arizona and a tragedy for our entire country,” and urging Americans “to come together and support each other.”

White House officials say Obama has no plans, as of yet, to travel to Arizona. But he will preside over a national moment of silence on the South Lawn at 11 a.m. Monday to mourn the dead and pray for the wounded.

Fairly or not to conservatives, the mass murder in Tucson has ignited a larger debate about the rhetoric in American political life and the implications of a discourse in which partisans – not all of them Republicans — routinely employ the vocabulary of hunting, warfare and slaughter to describe quotidian political conflict.

It’s a debate that will be hard for Obama to ignore, whatever his desire to appear above the fray.

A key ally, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), for example, explicitly called out Palin for injecting gun imagery into politics, arguing that her use of crosshairs over districts – including Giffords’ — in an email pitch to SarahPAC supporters incited violence.

“We live in a world of violent images … the phrase ‘don’t retreat, reload’ — putting crosshairs on congressional districts as targets … they invite the unstable,” Durbin told Candy Crowley on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.

Republicans bristle at any suggestion they have enabled zealots. Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, a Republican, told CBS that Giffords was a staunch Second Amendment defender who wouldn’t want anyone to jump to conclusions about her attacker.

And Clinton has made clear he believes that the trend he identified in the 1990s – the connection between radical speech and violent deeds – still exists.

“Civic virtue can include harsh criticism, protest, even civil disobedience. But not violence or its advocacy,” Clinton wrote in an April 19, 2010 New York Times op-ed to mark the 15th anniversary of Oklahoma City.

“Fifteen years ago, the line was crossed in Oklahoma City,” he wrote. “In the current climate, with so many threats against the president, members of Congress and other public servants, we owe it to the victims of Oklahoma City, and those who survived and responded so bravely, not to cross it again.”

Readers' Comments (801)

NBC News along with other major liberal newsoutlets are using this shooting to tie Palin and other conservatives to this event.

NBC News which has used phrases like "Democrats have targeted the Republican in this district"......or phrases like "Harry Reid has a big target on his back as the GOP tries to un-seat him".......wants you to believe that becasue Palin used a "cross-hairs" symbol for Democrats that were "targeted" for defeat in November that THIS is the reason for the massive shooting.............NONSENSE NBC News and talk about Inflaming the Ameircan people and the situation..........

The you have NUTS like Paul Krugman from the very left-wing NYTimes comes right out and blame conservatives........

And finally our Great Divider-in-Chief gets a lot of credit for the shooting in too............ What you say?

It was Obama himself who engaged in the Civil Dis-course by appearing on a Hispanic radion station and says to the Hispanics "We need to punish our enemies" referring to those Americans who voted for the Republican candidate on November 2............

"WE NEED TO PUNISH OUR ENEMIES"........................ Maybe that statement lead to the massive shootings ????

But no ONE of America's dirty and dishones liberal/progressive MSM wolfpack press members have mentioned that HATEFUL statement....................WHY?

Obama's hateful words cause the attempted assassination in the life of Democrat Representative Gabrielle Giffords.

Here's one example of Obama instigating leftists to commit violence against their fellow Americans.,

Giffords is a BLUE DOG DEMOCRAT, therefor she's enemy of Obama followers, she's not left enough. Indeed punishment was delivered by Glock from a leftist named JARED LEE LOUGHNER.

Obama should be proud of this, he should received another NOBEL PEACE PRIZE with his hateful words.

Keith Olbermann and the rest of leftwing media should rejoice! Nancy Pelosi, Reid and all liberals in Congress and Senate should dance! There goes your hateful words, one of your own was shot by your own committed LEFTIST!

Here's another video of Obama inciting his audience to argue with their fellow Americans.

You've change title of your header again conveniently in this thread. You've mentioned OKLAHOMA BOMBING, but you've FAILED to mention what were the events that triggered it PRIOR to its bombing by Tim Mcveigh, a Desert Storm Veteran.

It started with RUBY RIDGE (1992), Randy Weaver's ( green beret) wife and child was killed by ATF sniper during Bill Clinton Administration. The Clinton Administration paid Randy Weaver and survivor for WRONGFUL DEATH of his wife and child caused by Clinton Administration. The amount paid to Randy Weaver and survivor was NOT less than $3 Million. TAXPAYERS PAID FOR IT!

Then WACO ATTACK of Davidian compound ORDERED BY JANET RENO, AG of Bill Clinton. We've seen LIVE ON CAMERA how attack of the compound took place, was by the ATF . Instead of waiting it out, Janet Reno with permission from BILL CLINTON ordered attack of the compound which causes death of a lot of people especially CHILDREN. It was AVOIDABLE, PREVENTABLE but the Clinton Administration was hellbent in showing his muscles due to the FACT he failed to avert attack of the Twin Towers in February 26, 1993 by Al Qeada. The siege on Davidian compound on February 28, 1993, was to DIVERT the attention of the American people from attack of TWIN TOWERS by Al Qeada Terrorists.

The target at Oklahoma bombing was the office of ATF (alcohol, tobacco & firearms) located at Murrah Building.

Next time when you report about your story, make it CONCISE, not all your readers are ignorant.

"and like his fellow Illinoisan he sees himself as a warrior by compulsion, forced by circumstance to take up arms against political adversaries instead of following his preferred path of reconciliation, civility and compromise."

You mention that this crisis is smaller-but also note that the news cycle hyperflates everything. In a sense I think the smaller and more personal tragedy of this attack brings it home to more people as they hear individual names and stories.

On to the topic, I think this event was a tipping point and for the right wing they will reap what they have sowed. Maybe this guy was left wing, but the violent rhetoric manipulated by the right wing is coming back to bite them on the ***.

It won't matter what a few commenters here on polical blogging miniverse have to say. When people see what Beck has made tens of millions of dollars doing, and what Palin concocted with her "bullseye" map it is inevitable a natural link will be made whether or not the "lame stream media" coopts their opinion.

Jon Stewart and Bill Clinton(however not the most hard-to-connect messages) warned about these politics that the Right used more aggresively and the left did passively(they're racist, we're righteous, disregard them) and unfortunately we lost six outstanding people.

To the right: "man up" and accept that you contributed to this atmosphere in politics where someone statistically very unlikely to even vote shot his local congresswoman after you all have been demonizing everyone on the left. At least when Bush was in office we didnt have people throwing bricks through the window of people who voted on Iraq and spitting on them when they went to session.

To the left: accept that you are no saint either. Use this to look forward instead of back and set the golden example that will draw voters to you instead of look back and shame the people you claim contributed to this.

And few people around Obama were upset at the barrage of criticism unleashed against Republicans on Sunday for standing by while conservatives like Palin used gun-related imagery to score political points against Giffords and others...

A key ally, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), for example, explicitly called out Palin for injecting gun imagery into politics..

All the while ignoring the fact that the DLC, DCCC, Daily Kos also mapped bullseye targeted people and areas. It seems that not only is the media being unduly unfair, so are our elected officials.

I don't personally think that President Obama has it in him to treat this without political rhetoric and blame, he's blamed so much, and I don't think the blame of others now that has occured will help him, only hurt him because his political party, including the media, has taken the low road on this tragedy.

None of the political rhetoric will take away the fact that a deranged man, shot many, many people, and murdered 6. What people are doing by the political nonsense is

one major problems dummies Obama is one who is part of the vitriol you so want to erase. Politics ends and begins with Sarah Palin is what the left is trying to push. Sarah Palin is not the only one who uses war metaphors.

his moment is correct when he is part of the so called problem. so called because this loon was crazy before any politician cmae along

This entire article is based on the concept of How can Obama turn this shooting into a political advantage for his re-election without seeming to lower himself into the political discourse between the left and right.

Amazing, the left has been using this shooting for political gain since the democractic sheriff began his opinionated news update.

Obama will play the no blame game peacemaker and the right will grudgingly go along. Because it will get the heat off of them!

Then 72hrs or less later. Rush and FOX will be gutting him verbally and smearing away with hate rhetoric . Followed by 2 years of Issas invstigations are MEDIA events to smear and degrade and demonize the president and the Democrates.

Dick Armey the formentor of Teabagger hate who coachs Palin, already is out saying DON"T LET UP!!!! Because without the boiling hate he and the GOP got only failed ideas to run on.

Then the left will say we told you so. The media will absolve themselves, by saying both side do it.

So NOTHING will change.

Until the rightwing fanatics, KILL enough GOOD and innocent people, that the media and the polititions can no longer hide from the fact, that it's the rightwing extremists, with the HATE and the GUNS and the history of glorifying violence!!!!

"Fairly or not to conservatives, the mass murder in Tucson has ignited a larger debate about the rhetoric in American political life and the implications of a discourse in which partisans – not all of them Republicans — routinely employ the vocabulary of hunting, warfare and slaughter to describe quotidian political conflict."

Everyone seems to have forgot the wonderful Taliban Dan commercials from Grayson. How about the new senator from West Virginia using a high powered rifle to shoot a hole in a bill he didn't like. There is enough blame to go on both sides. There hasn't been much mentioned about the fact the shooters mom worked for local government, he had a long list of arrests but no criminal record! He passed a FBI check to buy the gun. A note found dated back in 2007. Lots of question.

As the president one would hope that he has the ability to rise above the fray and set the example but so far he has not shown it.

The Secreat Service informed the first couple of a massive spike in death threats that they were receiving and that the coincided with her rallies where she enflamed the crowds till they were screaming KILL HIM KILL HIM!!!!!

They now conclude that she was enflaming white supremisist groups, to go further.

Of all the unfulfilled campaign promises President Barack Obama made in 2008, the one that bothers the president most isn’t any squandered policy priority – it’s his failure to re-civilize what he views as an increasingly savage partisan climate.

Ahhh, poor baby... But oh wait, wasn't that him who said this?

June 14, 2008

Categories: Barack Obama

Obama brings a gun to a knife fight

The McCain campaign and RNC are pouncing on another line from the Obama pool report:

“If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun,” Obama said in Philadelphia last night. “Because from what I understand, folks in Philly like a good brawl. I’ve seen Eagles fans.”

Regardless of where you stand politically lets make sure we all put the victims of this heinous act of violence in our thoughts and prayers. President Obama Calls for Moment of Silence Monday at 11:00am ET, 8:00am Pacific @ the WH Speaker John Boehner Calls for Moment of Silence Monday at 11:00am ET, 8:00am Pacific @ the House